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Device maker study: Hospital middlemen arrangement wastes billions

The payment arrangements of group purchasing organizations waste billions of dollars each year, according to a new study funded by the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, a trade group that represents device makers.

8 Oct 2010

Websites bridge gaps between patients and doctors and marketers

Conveying how well a therapy works and doing so in understandable terms isn't easy, but a group of physicians is trying to change that The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog reports.

8 Oct 2010

Senate Dems criticize 'excessive' Medigap price hikes; Acos examined

Top Senate Democrats on Wednesday called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to protect seniors in Medigap plans from excessive rate hikes.

8 Oct 2010

Filthy nursing home in Thursday Island – manager fired

The manager looking after an aged care facility in the Torres Strait Islands has been sacked after the nursing home was found filthy and unsuitable for patient care. According to Torres Strait Regional Mayor Fred Gela, the nursing home in question is Star of the Sea on Thursday Island and the incident occurred after the state of affairs was brought to notice by a nurse. He said, “The person that was responsible for the overall administration and overseeing all of that, their employment has been terminated as of Monday.”

8 Oct 2010

Mass. attorney general recommends approval of Caritas sale; Calif. will require students to get whooping cough vaccine

Attorney General Martha Coakley yesterday recommended approval of the proposed sale of Caritas Christi Health Care to a New York private equity firm, a deal that would bring for-profit health care on a large scale to a state long dominated by nonprofit hospitals.

8 Oct 2010

University of Colorado receives $6.3 million for umbilical cord blood bank

The University of Colorado Cord Blood Bank, a component of ClinImmune Labs and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been awarded $6.3 million to collect and bank umbilical cord blood, with an emphasis on donors from minority groups.

8 Oct 2010

Doctors say practices disrupted by piecemeal Medicare payment fixes

Doctor groups are warning congressional leaders that a series of short-term measures lawmakers passed earlier this year to block Medicare payment cuts were too disruptive to medical practices," CQ HealthBeat reports.

8 Oct 2010

DEA issues new guideline to ease delay in prescriptions for nursing home residents

The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a new guideline intended to help ease the delay some nursing home residents face in receiving certain painkillers and anti-anxiety medications.

8 Oct 2010

Hospitals improve patient care by reducing blood transfusions: Study

A Loyola University Hospital study has demonstrated how the hospital has improved patient safety and cut costs by reducing the number of blood transfusions.

7 Oct 2010

KHN Column: Reminding ourselves what has gone right with the health law

In this Kaiser Health News column, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who has a new book about the health care debate, writes Six months after the passage of health care reform, it is easy to forget how far we have come in such a short time.

7 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 7, 2010

Today's headlines include stories on waivers given some companies that offer only minimal health insurance coverage, insurers' political efforts during this campaign season and efforts in New York to bar the use of food stamps to buy soda.

7 Oct 2010

Should Medicare consider cost-effectiveness when setting reimbursement rates?

Medicare reimbursement rates should be based on how cost effective the treatment is for a particular illness, according to a piece by two policy experts in the October edition of Health Affairs.

7 Oct 2010

Simple tips to prevent breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting American women and may lead to more than 38,000 deaths this year. Medical Doctor, Researcher and Cancer expert, Dr. Isaac Eliaz shares 8 simple tips during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so you can learn more about treating and preventing breast cancer.

7 Oct 2010

WHO releases new guidelines for simplified treatment of common mental disorders

Millions of people with common, but untreated, mental, neurological and substance use disorders can now benefit from new simplified diagnosis and treatment guidelines released today by WHO. The guidelines are designed to facilitate the management of depression, alcohol use disorders, epilepsy and other common mental disorders in the primary health-care setting.

7 Oct 2010

IMS launches new Recommendations to manage postmenopausal vaginal atrophy

To mark World Menopause Day on 18th October 2010, the International Menopause Society (IMS) is launching new Recommendations for the management of postmenopausal vaginal atrophy, a distressing condition that will affect up to half of women after menopause.

7 Oct 2010

e-IRG endorses Blue Paper at ESFRI delegates meeting

In October 2009 ESFRI invited the e-Infrastructure Reflection Group (e-IRG) to produce a report, or "Blue Paper", on e-Infrastructure services, enabling more efficient e-Infrastructure support for the science that is done by the ESFRI Roadmap projects.

7 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards grants to improve mental health services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the award of 19 grants totaling 1.3 million for the first year and $3.9 million for up to three years to support consumer organizations in their work to improve mental health services for persons living with serious mental illnesses.

7 Oct 2010

Retiree benefits prove promising hunting ground for state budget cuts

State and local officials facing down looming budget shortfalls are beginning to look at cutting public employees' famously generous retirement benefits, The Washington Post reports.

7 Oct 2010

Role of TGF-ß in cancer diseases

During this year's BIOTECHNICA exhibition, the international biotech news magazine „GEN - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News yesterday on 5 October 2010, held an information event with subsequent panel discussion featuring the topic TGF-ß an important target in cancer diseases.

7 Oct 2010

UEM, San Diego School of Medicine enter partnership to address medical human resource needs in Mozambique

Aimed at enhancing the capacity of Mozambique's flagship medical school, Universidade Eduardo Modlane (UEM), in pre- and postgraduate medical education, the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and UEM entered into a partnership in 2007 to address both short and long-term medical human resource needs in Mozambique.

7 Oct 2010